The Vanishing of Will Byers
by Candi96
Summary: In the small sleepy town of Hawkins, it seems like everything is normal. Who would have thought that the same small town would be harboring a terrifying government presence, human test subjects, strange disappearances, one very annoyed Chief of Police, and one very confused woman? Hawkins is not what Erica thought it would be when she moved back.


**This is kind of out there, definitely original content, but I'm going to try to follow the story line of Stranger Things to the best of my ability, but we'll see where things take me. I really hope you guys enjoy this, and I plan on writing again since I'll have a month long break from school. Hope you all enjoy!**

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The amount of self-control one had to have for working in retail was almost biblical. I almost couldn't believe the entitlement of some people, and just when I thought I'd seen it all, I was always surprised.

I had been working at Melvald's General Store for a little over a month. Not by choice, of course, but necessity. I had moved back to Hawkins to help out my mom with all of her bills, after my dad died. I had been close to him, closer to him than my mom, but I knew she needed me, and I couldn't let her struggle on her own.

So here I was. I had put school on the back burner, yet again, and was hoping to enroll in the local community college just outside of Hawkins, to resume my studying. I wanted to be a nurse, and move to the city. I was almost halfway to my degree when everything went downhill, and I had to move back. I hated thinking that way, like I was forced into this. My mom never asked me to, I did it out of 'obligation' or some such thing. It was stupid of me to think she couldn't make it on her own, but she didn't protest when I made my decision, so I figured that was enough confirmation.

I was snapped back to reality when the Chief of police stepped up to my register.

"Pack of Camels, please." He said, putting a five on the counter.

I turned away from him, absentmindedly grabbing the cigarettes. I had met him once before, when he had stopped by my mom's house after everything had been squared away with the movers. He asked her who was moving in, she told him, and I came out and introduced myself. He had remembered me from when I was younger. I had just graduated high school when he left town for the city, hoping to become a cop. I remembered hearing about his daughter, and felt awful for him.

"Here you go. Thank you very much." I said, a smile on my face, but it was plastered. I wasn't having a good day, and I'm sure he could tell by the tone of my voice. He didn't say anything though, just nodded and went on his way.

I watched him as he left, as there was a momentary lull in the store. I was waiting for Joyce to get back from her lunch so she could relieve me from the register, but I knew that she needed to compose herself after earlier, she had a run in with a particularly unruly customer, so I gave her all the time she needed.

About fifteen minutes later, she came back in the store, gave me a weak smile, and took over the register. I proceeded to head on my lunch. I went across the street to the diner, and decided to order something to go. I wasn't feeling too well all of a sudden and sat down on the benches that lined the front of the eatery.

"You okay, sweetheart?" The one waitress serving asked me as she walked by. She was definitely sweet about her inclination, no nosy-ness.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little weak for some reason." I said, hoping she would understand and not press it further. She seemed to take the hint and gave me a parting concerned look before walking away. About five minutes later my food was ready and I took it back to the store to eat in the back. When I walked in the break room, I almost groaned because Donald, my manager was back there eating as well. Nice guy over all, but overly chatty. I wasn't in the mood for his friendliness today.

"Hey, Erica. How are you doing?" As expected, as soon as I walked in the door, he was starting a conversation.

"I'm doing okay. Just a little tired for some reason. Today has been insane, the customers have been sassy." I laughed.

"I hear you, I had a guy earlier threaten to kick my ass if I didn't sell him a pack of cigarettes, but unfortunately he didn't have any money. So, I wouldn't have been selling them to him, he would have been stealing." He said the last part with a laugh, as if it were the funniest thing in the world. I had to agree with him there, there were too many instances of old men coming into the store, wanting things put on imaginary tabs that we did not offer. I'm sure the majority of them still thought they were in the bar across the street.

He let me eat in silence though, to which I was grateful, and also surprised, because he usually couldn't keep quiet for more than five minutes. I finished my lunch, and walked back out onto the floor.

The rest of my shift passed normally. Everyone after lunch was respectful and in much better spirits than the first half of my shift. It passed faster than usual, too, as Joyce and I chatted for quite a lot of it.

I had really grown to like Joyce in the month I had been back in town. I knew her briefly when I was growing up here, just in passing, but she always seemed like a nice woman. I had learned more about her in the time I was working at the store. She had confided in me what had happened with her ex-husband Lonnie, and several other personal things. I knew she had two boys, both of which were doing wonderful in school, and had very interesting hobbies. I considered her one of my true friends here in Hawkins, and was glad I was able to see her almost every day. I thought she was doing wonderful for her circumstances and always told her so when the occasion came about. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it if I were in her shoes.

We parted ways outside of the now closed store, telling her I would see her the day after tomorrow, as I was off the next day. She waved at me and said goodbye.

I drove home quietly, just not feeling like actually _going_ home. It was one of those nights where I really did not want to see my mother, and I just couldn't understand why I was feeling that way. It was dark at this point, and the town was already quiet and tucked in for the night. I decided to do the sensible thing and just go home because I knew the longer I was gone, the more questions she would have for me when I got home.

I entered the two story house quietly, hoping to not attract her attention. Of course, my efforts were futile. She heard the door open and was at the hallway before I could even close it.

"How was work, Erica?" She asked, trying to smile. She had been fairly depressed since my father died, and understandably so. I told her about my day as I set my things down on the dining room table. She laughed with me about the awful customers, and she shared her own stories about the station and the two drunk guys the Chief had to subdue today. I told her I had seen him in the store earlier, and that I had sold him a pack of Camels. She rolled her eyes and sighed, telling me that she and Flo, the office receptionist, had been trying to get him to quit for some time.

We ate dinner and talked about things, avoiding anything that might bring up my father. Around 8:30 or so, when we were finishing clearing the table, I had the worst feeling come over me. It was one of those feelings where you know something is clearly wrong, but you can't place your finger on it. I didn't say anything to my mom, but I wondered if she had felt it too, because I had seen her falter with the dish she was holding and she looked frightened. The feeling passed quite abruptly, so I let it go.

We finished up the night with me looking through one of the handbooks of the college that I wanted to attend. I was poring over the leaflet, looking at what they offered for nursing programs, when the phone rang. She answered it, and I could hear her voice grow more and more concerned as the conversation continued. I couldn't make out what exactly she was saying, just that her tone of voice was dismayed. When she hung up, she walked into the kitchen where I was sitting. I looked up at her, and her face was crestfallen.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, concern coloring my voice.

"It's Joyce's son. When she got home from work, he wasn't at home. She called the Wheeler's, because that's where he was at last, and Karen Wheeler said that he had left around 7:30… it's been over two hours since Joyce has been home and she hasn't seen him. Johnathan just got home and went looking for him."

I paled… and remembered the feeling I had had earlier. It couldn't have possibly been related to Will missing. There was no way.

"Oh my god… Joyce." Was all I could say. "Who called you on the phone? Was it Joyce?"

"No, it was Flo, at the station. Joyce already called the police, but Flo wanted me to be alert. The Chief is already on his way to her house with Powell and Callahan. I don't even know what to say… we _never_ have missing kids in this town." My mom sat down heavily, sighing into her hands.

I had no idea what to say or think. Here I was, sitting at home, just having a normal night, when Joyce's world was being torn upside down. Growing up, nothing bad ever happened in Hawkins. I quite literally could not remember a time when there was a missing child, or missing person in general.

"I should go to Joyce's. I need to help look for him…" I said, standing up, getting ready to grab my jacket off the back of the chair. My mother, however, was not having it.

"Erica, no! If someone is missing, I do not want you out there looking for them. That is so dangerous! What if whoever took him is still out there?" I understood she was concerned, but there was no way she was stopping me.

"Mom, are you serious? I'm 26-years-old. And how do you know that someone took him? He could just be lost. In fact, I'm sure that's what's going on, I doubt there is a predator or whatever, on the loose in Hawkins. It sounds ridiculous even saying that. And Joyce is my friend; there is no way she wouldn't do the same thing for me." And with that, I donned my jacket and popped out the door, ignoring my mother's pleas to not go.

I had been to Joyce's house quite a few times before, where we would relax and chat after work. It was close to the Department of Energy plant, probably the most interesting place in Hawkins, to be honest, so it was easy to spot off the main highway.

When I rounded the corner to her driveway, I could already see the lights from the strobes on the top of the cop cars. I had a sinking feeling in my gut as I pulled up to the house. I put my Subaru Brat in park and threw open the door, already hastily walking to the front door. It was open, so I cautiously walked inside.

Joyce was standing near the phone, Powell was walking around the house with a flashlight, looking at different spots on the wall, and I heard Callahan's voice in Will's room. I didn't know where the Chief was, but I assumed he was on the property, as his Blazer was out front.

When Joyce spotted me, her eyes filled with tears. She came running over to me, and I hugged her immediately, not knowing what else I _could_ do at that moment. She was so upset, sobbing into me. I had no idea why she was this upset, I had just assumed Will was missing, not that he had been kidnapped or something equally as serious.

"Joyce, what is going on?" Was all I could say, as I patted her back and held her to me. I was quite a bit taller than her, so it was an awkward angle, but I didn't care.

"I have no idea, Erica! When I left, I came straight home. I figured he was still playing Dungeons and Dragons with Mike, Dustin and Lucas, so I gave him an hour. When he wasn't home after an hour, I called Karen. She told me he had left right when I got home. It takes him maybe 15 minutes to get here, if he's biking slow. I called around, to the arcade, to Lucas's house and Dustin's. Dustin was the last one to see him, and he told me he was going straight home when they said goodbye." She had to pause there as she was crying so hard. "Johnathan came home right as I got off the phone with Dustin and he immediately went looking for him. He found his bike in the woods by the plant."

With her last sentence, my stomach dropped. There was no reason for Will to be in the woods at this time of night, when it had been dark for nearly four hours, as well as extremely cold. I didn't want her to see my face, because I knew if she saw my face she would see the fear in it, and I didn't want them to be confirmed.

Johnathan came through the front door just then, and Joyce and I both looked to him. He was carrying Will's bike. There was no visible damage to it, like if he had been hit by a car.

"Mom, there's no sign of him anywhere around where I found his bike. The Chief is out front, and he wants to talk to you." Johnathan said, visibly shaken.

Joyce walked out the front door, stiff legged, and trembling. I stayed inside, afraid to over step my boundaries, but I also wanted to be there for Joyce. Just then, Callahan came over to my side, eyeing me up and down.

"You're Rosie Simmons' daughter aren't you? I've seen you around town." He said.

Callahan was only a few years older than me, and he knew damn well who I was. I had known him all throughout high school, as he had always tried to date me. I was a freshman when he was a junior, and I'd always turned him down. Him acting like he had no idea who I was, was almost laughable.

"Uh, yep." Was all I could manage to say. I really didn't care to have a conversation with him, ever, and especially not now.

I started to walk into the kitchen to sit down at Joyce's table, but he lightly grabbed my arm.

"Do you want to maybe, I don't know, grab a beer sometime?" He said, kind of cautiously, but also definitely with an air of 'Casanova', like he was trying to be really suave, but he was just coming off as stupid. Especially at a time like this, I couldn't believe he was seriously trying to ask me on a date.

Before I could open my mouth to say something extremely smart in response, Jim Hopper was already speaking for me.

"Do you really think right now is a good time to ask this poor girl on a date? You're such a dipshit, Callahan. Leave her alone." Hopper said sternly, ignoring Callahan's obvious protests. I was grateful for what he said, but chose to ignore the whole exchange all together.

"What can we do, Joyce? Is there anywhere we can look that hasn't been thought of?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

Joyce started to speak, but Hopper cut over her.

"We have already called all around Hawkins. Literally any place he could be, he's not. I'm assuming he got lost, and he's disoriented somewhere." Hopper seemed bored, if not uninterested in what was taking place, and I honestly felt a little offended _for_ Joyce, simply because if it were my child that was lost, I would notice his lack of care.

"Hopper, I told you! He's not like other kids! He's here, I know he's close, I just don't know where he is. He never gets lost; he knows these roads like the back of his hand. There is no way my boy is disoriented out there. Something happened to him and he got scared and ran!" Joyce said fervently, her voice cracking with the weight of her emotion. I had to admit; her standing up to the Chief was quite a sight, but not one that I was unwilling to witness.

"Yes, Joyce, I understand that. But honestly, he probably saw something that scared him, crashed his bike, ran off into the woods, and wasn't able to find his way out. I'm going to round up a search party, I'll call Flo, and we'll head into the woods where his bike was found." Hopper said, grabbing Joyce's shoulders reassuringly. I think he noticed the fact that she was catching on to his indifference and wanted to make sure she understood he was taking it serious. He did seem to have a little bit of a turnaround from his previous attitude to what was happening.

"I'll go with you guys, if you need help searching." I volunteered without a moment's hesitance.

"Erica, I can't ask you to do that. That's too much, you already came all the way out here, you're a saint." Joyce said her voice shaky.

"I know you would do the same for me." I smiled, hoping to reassure her.

"Are you sure you want to go out there? It's pretty cold and honestly you might not like what you'll find…" Callahan said from across the room. Before I could even get a word out, the Chief looked across the room at him, and with two long strides had knocked him into Joyce's fridge.

"If you ever say anything like that again around a missing person's family, I will have your badge taken." Hopper said, slowly and menacingly. He was holding Callahan by his collar, and Callahan truthfully looked a little taken aback. He gulped and nodded, as if he understood, but I knew that wouldn't be the only smart ass comment he would make throughout the night.

I got up from my chair, and started heading towards the door. The Chief had already pushed Callahan roughly aside, and was walking in step behind me.

Johnathan appeared in front of me just then, and said, "I'm going with you guys. I can help find him."

The Chief grabbed Johnathan's shoulder firmly and led him outside. I followed, only because I wanted to get outside and away from Callahan.

"Johnathan, we _will_ find him. That's what we're best at, and I promise you, your mother needs you here more than out there right now. Please, let us do our job."

Johnathan was getting ready to protest, I saw it on his face from where I stood, but all of a sudden, his expression changed.

"I'm going to Lonnie's to see if he's there."

"Kid, you know damn well he's not at Lonnie's. You found his bike in the woods. Lonnie hasn't come around you guys in at least three years. I know it's harsh, but you know it's the truth." Hopper said, his voice strained. I could tell he was trying really hard to be liberal with his argument, but he was somewhat failing at it.

"I don't care, I'm going to check. I'll leave tomorrow morning so mom has someone with her tonight. But I'm going." He said defiantly, with an air of finality.

Hopper nodded, and opened the door to his Blazer. He got on the radio with Flo, who was still at the station after 9 PM, quite rare for her, but I'm sure the case of Will Byers disappearance was keeping her.

"Flo, I need you to get a search party out past the Byer's house. As big as you can. I know it's going to be hard this time of night, but do whatever you have to." Hopper pleaded, sounding almost desperate.

I heard the radio crackle, and I looked at Hopper's face, who in turn was staring down at the receiver in his hand.

"Flo here, and honestly Jim, we already have a large group at the station right now. Once word got around, everyone started gathering. I'll send them on their way." She replied, her voice definitely strained. I felt bad for Flo; she was definitely dealing with her own problems at the station. I was glad my mom was off for the night, but I had a snaking suspicion she made her way down to the station after my leaving, to gather a search party, as well as wait for any news. I would hear about it later, I'm sure.

Hopper looked over at me then. I was standing at the front of the Blazer, my hand on the hood, deep in thought. I looked back at him, and he said, "Let's go."

I climbed into the passenger seat of his Blazer, and braced myself for the lights and sirens. He immediately turned them on, and we were off to where Will's bike was found.

He didn't say anything at first, and neither did I. I had never been alone with the Chief, and never had a reason to. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't exactly easy either.

"You must be loving it here, huh?" He asked me sarcastically, a smirk on his face as he looked over at me. I couldn't believe he was trying to make jokes.

"Uh, well. After tonight, not so much. Little different from what I remember." I replied dryly.

"The last missing person reported in Hawkins was in 1963. I don't know how I bring this good of luck to this town." He almost seemed like he was talking to himself, when he looked over at me, presumably for confirmation.

"Don't blame yourself. There's literally no way this is your fault." I said, without hesitation.

"Yeah, I know. But it still doesn't make it any easier. Joyce is my friend, she always has been, and seeing her like that… It's hard." He said, his voice hardening. He gripped the steering wheel tighter I noticed, and I had a feeling he was thinking of his own daughter. Before I could say anything else, the radio crackled, and Powell started speaking.

"Hey, Chief we're heading your way now. Joyce is inconsolable, because Johnathan thinks Lonnie has something to do with this. He told her he's going to the city tomorrow to look."

"Yeah, I already had a talk with the kid. I can't stop him, even though I know there's no reason for him to go. Just tell him to stay put there, at least for tonight. Joyce can't be alone right now." Hopper said, and then he turned the CB off.

There was silence again between us, and this time it was awkward. I didn't know what to say to him. I mean, I had only really known Joyce for a little over a month, and I considered her a friend, a good friend at that, but Hopper had known her for years, much longer than I had, and I couldn't imagine the thoughts that were going through his head at that moment. I knew he had known Will when he was little, and Johnathan, but I didn't know how well.

"You're a good friend for doing what you're doing, especially after today." He said, out of seemingly nowhere.

"What do you mean?" I said, a little sharper than I had intended. I hoped he wasn't referring to my face earlier when I was selling him his cigarettes.

"Your face, earlier. You looked mad as hell." He chuckled, confirming my worst fear.

"Oh, sorry about that. Yeah, today has been crazy, even before all of this stuff happened." I had no idea how else to respond to him, but I figured that was the best route to go.

"You're fine. How are you doing, anyway? With coming back here? I know we never talked before or anything really, but really? Hawkins?" He asked, actually laughing now. His laugh was contagious, so I couldn't help but join.

"Well, as you know, my dad passed… and I didn't want my mom to be alone. I just assumed it was the right thing to do." I didn't want to give too much information away, because I knew how word spread in this town; however I didn't think the Chief was one to gossip.

"Weren't you studying at Purdue to become a nurse?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was. I was halfway there." I replied, and I looked out the window, because I didn't want him to see my face. It still stung that I was that close and decided to drop out, but I kept reminding myself that it was the right thing to do.

"Ah… I'm sorry, kid." He said, understanding my tone of voice. He could pick up it was a touchy subject.

"Kid? Are you serious, Hopper? I'm 26, almost 27." I joked.

"Still young though. I'll be 40 in January." He smiled at that, and I did as well.

"Good to know, grandpa." I retorted.

At my last remark, we were just pulling up to the site where Will's bike was found. I instantly shuddered at the sight of the police tape crossed over the pathway into the woods, as well as all of the lights. There was a group of probably 25 people already standing around, and I was actually impressed. Flo was legit when it came to getting a search party together apparently, but I suspected that everyone's panic also got the best of them.

"You ready to do this?" Hopper asked, looking over at me with an unreadable expression. I just nodded in confirmation, trying to stomach Callahan's words earlier… "You may not like what you'll find."


End file.
